Red Dotting the SS CZ 75 B "Special Edition"
- that came with night sights, and copabola grips, and brushed flats on slide and frame, matt on the curves. 2012 manufacture.
The saga begins -
I decided that I'd like to try a red dot sight on my SS CZ 75B. I shoot well with one on a .22 pistol but lousy with the fixed sights of the CZ. It seems my 59 year old eyes don't change focus fast enough to shoot well in the short time available in the 'combat league'.
In trying to figure why I was having such difficulty, I read that using a red dot, one can just focus on the target and the dot works without having to try to focus on it. I checked my .22's red dot at 10, 21, and 50 feet as used in 'combat' and it's true. The dot stays good and my eye stays focused on the target, not the pistol's sights. The red dot works for me, open sights not so well. (I'm a rookie shooter, and in the top ten of the .22 league (using red dot) , and the top ten of the bottom half of the combat league (using open sights), so I'm pretty sure it's the red dot that makes the difference for me).
While saving up, I tried to see what I could get that would work with the CZ. There are two basic form factors, those in a tube like a conventional cross-hair scope, and much smaller open sights that remind me of an outdoor movie screen (yeah, I'm that old, I remember). My guess is the tubular ones would be too high of mass to mount on the slide, and I didn't want to drill the frame and create risers and rail to mount one on like I've seen pictures of. The smaller lighter ones mount using the rear sight dovetail, so no modification to the pistol is needed. That's the path I chose.
These smaller red dots come with a variety of adapters, but none seem to be made for CZ specifically (if you find otherwise, please post what you find here!), and it seems that even within CZ 75s there are many formats. While researching what is available I found some good looking ideas that I'd hoped I could put to work for me.
CZ Custom has an adapter plate that works with a C More sight that I'm sure is superb, but CMore's beyond my budget for something that is essentially experimental. I bought their adapter plate in hopes that small red dots were rather 'universal' in the mounting. They're not universal. CZ Custom's adapter is very well made and designed. It is high strength, low mass aluminum, and provides a great grip for racking the slide, keeping me from klutzing up the sight, I'm sure. I really like it, but it doesn't fit the sight I ended up with.
With as much searching as I could manage, I settled on the Burris FastFire III with 3 MoA dot size. It's about half the price of the others used for CZs, and hopefully high enough quality to survive living on a 9mm. I almost went with the FastFire II, but the auto-off feature of the III was a clincher with me as I've left my red dots powered up too many times. Off the gun, I like it, the 3 MoA dot looks like it will work for me. I was uncertain how big the dot would look and almost went with the 8 MoA size, but I think I did right for me with the 3 MoA. We will see once it's in place
I read that someone had success with the Burris adapter plate for Novak 1911 with some filing. Well it looks to fit a cylindrical slide to the front of the dovetail, and a lowered flat platform area behind the dovetail. I've seen some photos of CZ pistols that are cut like that for competition open sights, but my SS 75 B has a ribbed cylindrical shape the whole length, so this Novak adapter won't work for me. I'll have to send it back. Note: I found one at Brownell's after calling them when I couldn't locate that part on their web site. The lady I spoke with was very nice, and sent me a different piece in hopes it would work better, without charge! She earned my patronage with her kindness. Service came first with her, not profit. I will shop there again.
Seeing that the Burris Novak plate wasn't going to work, some deeper Google-fu found a link where someone mentioned that the Docter (with an E) red dot used the same mounting pattern as Burris. I'd looked at their sight but it was out of my price range for an experiment. Dean at docterusa.com was very prompt in his replies and shipped me an adapter plate right away the following morning. I correspond with him by email on Friday evening, so again, fantastic service was found. I got the plate too late for last night's league, but set to it this (Friday) evening.
I drifted the night sight (.379") out of the dovetail, and opened the Docter adapter envelop. The dovetail piece (.4785") is .1" too wide to fit the dovetail. I haven't taken a file to it, but it feels like it is hardened steel and will be tough to take down 50 thou on both beveled sides with a file. (oh how I'd love a small Bridgeport mill!).
Before I mess up the part, I've emailed Dean to see what might be available for my CZ.
So two weeks into this project, lots of purchases and a disassembled CZ75B at the ready, I'm not as close to completion as I'd hoped to be. I'm writing up this long tome in hopes others can avoid some of my mis-steps. I hope at the end I have a clear short easy path to put a red dot on your CZ75, at least ones like mine that don't have the same dimensions of other CZs.
